See the impact of a Kentucky law that has devastated families and join the conversation

Courier Journal staff
·2 min read

Marcus Jackson's fight to change Kentucky's persistent felony offender law is personal. It ravaged his family.

A monthslong Courier Journal investigation details how the "tough-on-crime" law has strayed from its author's original intent — to the detriment of Jackson as well as tens of thousands of Kentuckians and their families.

Get an inside look at the law, its impact and the battle to change it during a virtual event at 6 p.m. Feb. 9 that will include a screening of three short documentary films — "Persistent: A Challenge to Kentucky's PFO Law," "The Weight of the State," and "Understanding Kentucky's PFO: The Persistent Felony Offender Law."

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The films were created by Independent Lens in association with The Courier Journal. A panel discussion and an audience Q&A will follow the screening.

Panelists include:

  • Jonathan Bullington and Matt Mencarini, Courier Journal investigative reporters

  • Marcus Jackson, film participant and Smart Justice organizing coordinator with the ACLU of Kentucky

  • Marlon Johnson, director and producer

  • Evan Mascagni, director and producer

  • Ellen Sloan, aunt of an incarcerated loved one

  • Monica E. Unseld, founder of Until Justice Data

To view the screening and discussion, use this link: https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/lUJfC0RoWVSJYz8DyTw6yEM?domain=ovee.itvs.org

The following organizations are partners for the screening event: ACLU KY; Change Today, Change Tomorrow; Kentuckians for the Commonwealth; Kentucky Center for African American Heritage; New Leaf; New Legacy; Louisville Recovery Community Connections; Simmons College; and Until Justice Data Partners.

PFO: What is a persistent felony offender? The law fueling Kentucky's huge incarceration rate

In its investigation of Kentucky's PFO law, The Courier Journal analyzed more than 140,000 persistent felony offender cases with the nonprofit Vera Institute of Justice and found the law has mostly been used in the last four decades against people accused of the state's lowest-level felonies.

The findings show that 1 in 6 incarcerated people in Kentucky is serving a longer sentence because of a persistent felony offender conviction.

Black people charged in Kentucky are 3½ times more likely to face a PFO charge, resulting in longer prison sentences and disproportionate justice.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Film event shows impact of Kentucky's persistent felony offender law